Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-22
DAILY HERALD
CRICKET.
History of One of the Best
Outdoor Sports.
SOME NOTABLE CRICKETERS.
The Science of the Most Difficult of
Athletic Sports Fully
Exemplified.
CRICKET.
SOME NOTABLE CRICKETERS.

III Luib paper III ioS ~hh5Oioo o"'oA~
of a very small circle of people, mostly
English, who have seen more or less
of it played in their native land.
Our national game of ball-baseball
is a thing very different from the
English game. Both are played with
balls and bats, and there the resem-
blance ends. Even the balls and
bats differ widely in the two sports.
g The fact that two clubs have been
formed to play here seems to be
sufficient excuse for brief article on
the history and science of cricket. To
play the game requires eleven on each
side instead of nine, as in the Ameri-
can game. The match usually en-
braces two innings to each side, and
each hit the batter may make no run,
one run, or as many more as he safely
can, all at his own discretion and the
risk of being put out. To close
an inning all the members
OF one side must be sue
cessively put out, excepting one
who is said to "carry out his bat. "
The reason of this Is that there are
two batsmen all the time at the wick
cts, and at each run these change
ends. The "wickets" are placed
sixty-six feet apart, and each consists
of three .sstumps' set firmly in the
ground just far enough apart to
prevent the ball from passing between
them. They support two short pieces
of wood placed horizontally on their
tops. called "bales." The "bowlers, ;"
or pitchers, toss the ball from one
wicket to the other, and the batsman
hit it away If they can. Six balls are
delivered at each bout by one bowler,
and this is called an "over," because
all the fielders cross the field, and
take other positions at each such over.
Then the other bowler delivers six
balls from the other end, and SO on
during the progress of the game.
When a run" is made the
batters change places between
the wickets, and such run
counts the inside one in the game. A
batsman is put out by having the ball
go past his bat and take his wicket,
by having a ball struck by him caught
on the ely" or by having the "wick-
or other player, Istrike
down his wicket while he is off his
place. A line is made in front of the
"wicket" an d parallel to it, which is
called the popping crease" fiom the
ends of these other lines are drawn at
right angles and back behind the
wicket these being called the return
creases :" and inside these three de-
markations the batsman must stay,
excepting while making run. If he
is caught out of this place by any one
on the opposite side who has the ball
that one knocks the wicket down and
the batsman is out. How
the "field" is placed may
be seen next Wednesday when the
game is played at the Sixth-street
grounds, and that will be more salts.
factory than any explanation could be
without an elaborate diagram, thing
which would call into requisition the
engraver's art.
THE HlSlOk1 Of
Cricket is either an Anglo-Saxon or
a Norman game, probably the former.
1t was played in England as long ago
as the Thirteenth century, or fully six
hundred years ago. " Single-wicket y
was the form of the game then in
vogue, and it was known as "elub.
ball" The "double-wicket" game was
played two hundred years ago under
the name of "Dog-and-Cat."
OF course, in so many years great
changes were made in the game. But
first it would be proper to remark that
the name "Cricket is from Saxon
word "Cricce," which means a
crooked stick; for such was the early
form of the bat. The early cricket
bat was rude affair, very
much like the stick commonly used tc
play the game Shiny" Nor was
there any wicket in these primitive
days. A hole was made in the ground
represented iE the improved game o.
modern times by the "blocking hole ,
where the batsman takes his range tc
guard his wicket. Tie round stick
whose place is now taken by the ball
was thrown at this hole. The bats
man hit it away if he could. Failing
to do 80, if it fell in the hole, the bat
ter was out, or ii the wicket-keeper
was able to snatch the ball and de-
posit it in the hole before the bats
man got his stick there, he retired de.
feated. With quick hand and true
eye, the batsman had the advantage,
and therefore wickets were set up to
throw at, in order to equalize the
chances between the two sides. The
early wickets were two feet wide by
only a foot high, and there were but
two stumps, with one long bale
reaching across them. This held
place in the game from 100 until
1880, when the wicket was made one
foot high, six inches wide and a
middle stump was inserted. The bats
mans advantages were greatly cur
tailed by this change. Still he had
the best of it, and matches were all
but interminable. In 1881 the height
OF the wickets was increased to twen-
ty-two inches, which gave the ball
twirlers more chance to hit the
wicket. In the next generation the
batters had become 80 skillful that the
bowlers asked for further favors, and
20 the stumps were made twenty-six
inches high, and the width was in.
creased to eight inches. This was in
1874, and three years later the stumps
had grown to twenty-seyen inches
with the same space between. This
is the rule now practiced. But while
the toiling, and greatly foiled bowler
has craved no further indulgence in
the way OF having a barn door set VI
for him to attack, he has made grea
changes in the way of delivering the
ball. OF course long ago the crooked
stick gave place to the flat-bladed
willow bat, tough as rubber, and light
as q feather, with handle nicely
fitted to the hand, made springy with
an insertion of the best whalebone
and strong by many wraps of waxed
cord. At first the ball-which by
this time has changed from an ill.